Umeko Hotsprings
by Scattered.Lies
Summary: Umeko meaning plum blossom. Kakashi decides to take Team 7 on vacation at Umeko Hotsprings after torturing them in the hot sun. After a surprise encounter in the hotsprings, Sasuke and Sakura's relationship starts to blossom, but every flower withers.....
1. The Accident

**Chapter 1) Accident**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. NARUTO © MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

The sun was high in the sky boiling up the Earth making everyone in Konoha stay inside. Even some team captains aloud their students to stay indoors where they had air conditioning on account of the high temperatures. One cruel captain leader who goes by the name of Kakashi, made his team train under the yellow sun on this blazing hot day.

"Kakashi, can we stop now? I'm tired!" One of his students, Naruto Uzumaki, whined. He was wearing jeans and an old orange shirt instead of his usual orange jumpsuit.

"No, you have to keep going. I have plenty more targets for you to hit." Kakashi said, rather enjoying this mean gesture. He was eating icecream under a shady tree making him rather cool.

Sakura Haruno, the only girl in the team, remained silent because she didn't want to seem weak in front of her much stronger teammates. She was actually feeling quite melancholic with the idea of being compared to her comrades. Naruto was once a failure, but he had saved the village from the demon within Gaara, a sand ninja. Sasuke, her love interest, was always smart and strong to begin with. He was a legendary Uchiha after all, and on top of all that, he had adopted one of Kakashi's original attacks: Chidori. Her tutor, Kakashi, had once been a part of ANBU and he is known to be very strong with his past experiences. But Sakura was only a simple Haruno, a family of no proud techniques or abilities. She was plain, weak, and to her crush: "annoying." Sakura held back any tears that wanted to bleed out of her emerald green eyes, and worked as hard as she could, as far away from her teammates as she could.

Little did the pink haired girl know that Sasuke had been keeping a watchful eye on her ever since she became his teammate. She was keeping an unusual distance from him, which was out of the ordinary. He knew that Sakura had a crush on him, so why wasn't she talking to him or anything? In fact, she had been avoiding him ever since the Gaara incident. Was it because Naruto saved her and not him? The memory pained him, for he knew he held secret feelings for the radiant cherry blossom. Usually Sasuke would instantly know why she was feeling bad at times like these, but he couldn't put his finger on this one. It bothered him that she wasn't talking to him, so he decided to train closer to her.

"Sakura, aren't you tired of all this?" Naruto asked, noticing Sasuke getting close to her, and deciding to budge in.

Sakura gave a small shrug, and only a small simple shrug. No smile, no radiant aura, not even a word out of her pink lips. It felt so odd to both of them. Sasuke moved a few inches closer to her. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he remained silent. Naruto noticed this, and shoved Sasuke, making Sakura loose her balance a little.

"Ah!" Sakura yelped, saving herself even though Sasuke was prepared to catch her. She looked at both of them, giving a glare and a painful look, and then went off ahead, aiming for a target next to the edge.

"Sakura, that's too close to the edge! Watch out!" Naruto called to her.

She was furious, and very close to tears. She didn't need to be protected anymore, by both of them. She was independent and she was smarter than her classmates at the ninja academy. Apparently none of those facts mattered to either of them, so she chose to ignore his warning. Sasuke finally found out why she was so sad.

"Sakura can do anything she wants, idiot." Sasuke said.

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard those words coming out from Sasuke. She smiled, and turned back to them, really close to the edge.

"Thank you." Sakura said, finally smiling for the first time in days. She hit the target, and was planning to run back to them when she lost her balance, and fell off the edge.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" She screamed, unable to hold onto any rocks or branches.

Sasuke immediately dived after her, as well as Naruto. Kakashi didn't notice any of this since he was reading Icha Icha Paradise. Sasuke was the first to catch up to her, since he reacted so quickly. He blushed before putting his arms around her. Sakura blushed, as she stared at all the sharp rocks waiting to pin her at the bottom. Sasuke held her tightly in one arm, and tried to grab onto one of the rocks at the sides with the other. He took grasp on a rock, but Naruto was still falling endlessly towards the bottom.

"Grab onto a rock, you dobe!" Sasuke shouted to Naruto.

Naruto extended his arm, and held grasp of one rounded shaped rock at the side, and the two climbed up. Sasuke reached the top first, and took a risk by throwing Sakura in the air. Once she was out of his grasp and spinning in the fresh air, he jumped onto the edge, and caught her. She was startled, and was close to tears. She needed help, _again_.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked her, as Naruto reached the top as well.

"I-I'm sorry… You didn't need to go save me…" Sakura apologized.

"Are you kidding me?! We just can't let you fall down!!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Shut up, stupid." Sasuke said, bonking Naruto on the head. "I'm sorry for throwing you up in the air…" The raven haired teen looked away, blushing a light pink. Even though she felt silly and selfish, Sakura smiled, and took a risk as well. She hugged Sasuke, and thanked him for saving her. He blushed a darker pink, slowly turning into a gentle red.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away.

"Sakura, what about me?!" Naruto whined, waving his arms around. Sakura smiled, a noticed Sasuke was looking at her, seeing if she was going to hug him.

"Sorry, Naruto! You have to be quicker than Sasuke-kun next time." Sakura said, watching Sasuke smirk.

"No fair!!" Naruto whined.

Sakura giggled, and went back to hitting targets. Sasuke followed her, keeping a watchful eye and Naruto also resumed.

"That's right! Extra time for talking!" Kakashi announced happily.


	2. Vacation! Really!

**Chapter 2) Vacation?! Really?!**

The sun started to set, blending into the horizon creating a wondrous smoothie in the sky. A perfect blend of strawberry, orange, and a dash of pink filled what was once blue. Team 7 was sweating, except for their tutor whom made them train hard in the blazing sun. They packed their weapons, and once they were set, Kakashi stood up.

"Since you three have put your best effort in this exercise, I'm taking you all on a vacation!" The masked copy ninja announced.

"Vacation?! Really?! No way!!" Naruto and Sakura both exclaimed, surprised at their master.

Kakashi nodded, and Sasuke remained silent.

"Wow! Thanks sensei! This is great! Now I can eat all the ramen I want!!" Naruto said, rather excited. Sakura smiled, and looked at Sasuke to search for any reaction. He looked at her, and then turned away blushing like mad.

"I said I was TAKING you on a vacation." Kakashi said, still having a trick up his sleeve.

"Where?" Sakura asked.

"Umeko Hotsprings!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Umeko hotsprings?! That new hotsprings near Konoha? It just opened and experts already give it a good report!" Sakura exclaimed, surprised.

"The only bad part about it is… You have to pack and leave tonight. Oh look, it's almost sunset…" Kakashi said.

And with that, the three left to pack.

It was now night time, for the moon was shining radiantly in the dark sky. The stars twinkled little by little, lighting up the darkness and guiding the path for one's destination. The three ninjas, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, were waiting for their sensei to take them to Umeko hotsprings.

"He's late, as usual." Sakura said, sighing.

Ten minutes passed, and suddenly a poof of smoke appeared before their eyes. Kakashi had the most luggages, and the trio instantly knew it meant bad news.

"You three will have to carry your own stuff and some of mine of course. Vacation starts once we get there, and I'll let you do whatever you want for free." Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask.

"What will YOU be carrying, then?" Sakura asked.

"This wonder, of course." Kakashi answered, holding up Icha Icha Paradise.

The three did what they were told, and along the way, none of them said a word. When they arrived at the famous hotsprings, Sakura and Naruto dropped Kakashi's bags, and admired the place. A woman, who looked as young as 21, came to them with a polite smile.

"You must be Team 7." She said in a sweet voice.

"Yes, that's us." Kakashi said, giving her his credit card.

"Unfortunately, we only have 2 rooms available for you and your team… Can you split your team in two?" The lady asked.

"Sure." Kakashi said politely, and then turned to his students. "Who wants to be paired with me?"

"I don't; I wanna-"Naruto started but Kakashi interrupted.

"I guess I'll just share my room with Sakura." Kakashi said, smiling evilly.

"No!" Sasuke and Naruto declared. The two glared at one another.

"I don't trust Naruto with Sakura, so I guess Sasuke will be her roommate. If that's okay with you, Sasuke." Kakashi eyed his stubborn student.

"Whatever." Sasuke said, blushing.

"Alright, here are your room keys. Enjoy!" The lady said, and walked away.

Sasuke and Sakura went to their rooms, and Naruto and Kakashi went to theirs. Sakura was thrilled to have Sasuke as a roommate, but she also felt very shy. She decided not to start a conversation with him, but unload her things and put them away in the provided storage. The futons were already laid on the ground for them, and they were both side by side. Sakura blushed when she found out, and then noticed she couldn't budge them further away from each other.

"Ummm…." Sakura said, turning to where Sasuke was. He was gone, and his things were already unpacked. She sighed, and fell on her futon; exhausted.

_I wonder what I should do… _Sakura thought. She then remembered that she was at a hotsprings, and that they were free of rules. The hotsprings were known to make a stressed person totally relaxed, so Sakura decided to go in.


	3. Frozen

**Chapter 3) Frozen**

Sakura opened the door of her room by a little bit, and peeked out the small crack to see if anyone was in the hallway. The coast was clear, so Sakura stepped into the empty hallway with only a bathrobe on, and a towel in her hand. Sakura quickly walked down the stairs to the hotsprings, being careful not to be noticed by anyone. She found the closest hotspring bath available, and locked the door. She untied her robe, and went into the hot, yet relaxing water. She smiled to herself, and everything around her was quiet until she heard the sound of bothered water. She shot up, also bothering the water. She then heard a very familiar voice.

"Who's there?" The voice called out, to Sakura.

She froze in place, realizing the owner of the voice. It was no one but her crush, Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura didn't know what to do. She remained frozen as the noise of bothered water came closer and closer. She didn't want Sasuke to see her there, because he would probably think she followed him there. Sakura then decided it was time to leave, and reached for her towel, but the sound was so close to her, so she closed her eyes, and huddled in the corner of the bath.

_Please don't notice me, please don't! _Sakura thought, hearing her own heartbeat pound rapidly.

"Sakura…?" Sasuke said, surprised to see her in the same hotspring bath as him. He blushed a bright pink, and then turned away from the sight of his secret crush naked in front of him.

Sakura opened her eyes, and saw the Uchiha blushing. She blushed back, and lowered her head so he wouldn't see her naked from the neck down. The problem was, she didn't know what to do. It was quiet, and finally Sasuke started making his way out. Sakura watched him, and she knew she shouldn't have, but she grabbed his shoulder.

"D-don't go!" Sakura stuttered, still frozen in place.

Sasuke stopped, and faced her. He saw her painful eyes that seemed to scream for help. Sasuke looked away.

_Why do I always feel so weak whenever I'm around her? _Sasuke thought.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, trying to sound mean.

"I-I….." Sakura stuttered, not knowing where she was going with the whole situation.

Sasuke stared at her, and noticed her bright eyes starting to dim. He didn't like seeing her all melancholic, in fact, he hated it. She wasn't smiling either, which was okay, since he knew a person whom smiled all the time would be a little weird, but he didn't like her not smiling whenever she was with _him._

"I'm sorry… nevermind…" Sakura apologized, feeling a bit stupid. She then reached for her towel, but Sasuke was the one who stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

"Eh?" Sakura said, startled.

Sasuke leaned closer to her, causing Sakura to blush a deep red. Sasuke smiled, and said:

"_I want you to keep smiling for me, my little blossom._"

He then disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving Sakura completely dumbfounded. So many things were racing in her mind that she fell into the water, and just stayed underwater trying to clear her thoughts.

_What just happened?! That didn't really happen just now, right?! This is just another one of my dreams… _Sakura thought, her heart beating rapidly. She rose to the surface, and put on her towel. She tied her robe around herself, and zoomed up the stairs as fast as she could.

When she opened the door to her room, she heard the shower running. Forgetting that she was sharing a room with Sasuke, she tiptoed to the door, and cracked it open. At once she saw the figure of the Uchiha in the shower curtain, and then slammed the door shut with her cheeks burning bright red. Sasuke peeked through the shower curtain, and smiled. He then continued washing his hair, and once he finished, he put on shirt and a pajama pants, and left.

When he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Sakura asleep on _both _of the futons. He didn't push her onto the other futon, but he lay down next to her, and placed his arms around her waist. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep with a smile still on his face.

_(Author's Note: A sweet and short chapter about Sasuke showing his feelings toward Sakura. Next one coming shortly. C:) _


	4. Shy

**Chapter 4) Shy**

The next morning, Sakura woke up happy and warm. She had dreamed sweetly last night about Sasuke, and wondered if the hotsprings encounter one was real or not. Sakura then noticed the blanket wasn't on her, and then she also realized arms wrapped around her. Scared shitless, she turned her head and saw Sasuke sound asleep.

"KYYYYAAAAA!!!!" She exclaimed, breaking free from his arms. She sat up quickly, and wondered _what the hell _happened last night.

_Oh my gawd…. _Sakura thought, blushing like mad. _Did we do it?! Why were his arms around me!?!? Kyaaa…. I can't believe this is happening!! _

Sasuke's eyes opened once she escaped his hug. He too dreamed sweetly last night; his dreams all involving Sakura. The shy Uchiha blushed, wondering what happened last night. Did he really call her _his _little blossom last night in the hotsprings? Both of their minds were racing, as well as their hearts. Sakura noticed she was only wearing a towel and a robe, so she dashed into the bathroom to take a morning shower. A knock came at the door, and Sasuke got up to answer it. It was Kakashi, and he was still in his pajamas. Sasuke noticed he still had his mask on.

"Good morning. Where is Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"She went to the bathroom." Sasuke answered, trying to hide his blush. Kakashi noticed the light pink on his cheeks, and he smiled behind his mask.

"Were you two _at it_ last night?" Kakashi asked, playing with his stubborn student.

With that, Sasuke slammed the door on Kakashi, blushing like crazy. His fists tightened, cursing his stupid sensei for suggesting that.

"Well, breakfast is down stairs for free so….." Kakashi said outside their room, and then left smiling.

Sakura opened the bathroom door by a smidge, and peeked through the room.

"I thought I heard Kakashi's voice. Was he telling us to do something?" Sakura asked.

_What the heck does she mean "telling us to do something"?! _Sasuke thought, still blushing furiously.

"He told us there's free breakfast downstairs….." Sasuke paused. "I'm going to get a quick bite, want anything?" He asked.

Sakura hesitated. "I guess whatever looks good." She replied, and closed the door to finish up. Sasuke quickly changed, and went downstairs. Once she heard the door close and footsteps down the hall, Sakura opened the bathroom door and went to see what she should wear today. She didn't just bring her usual attire, but other things as well. She decided to tie her hair up, and to wear a white shirt with a red vest and blue shorts. Sakura dropped her towel, and began to dress. She was only wearing her bra, her underwear, and her blue shorts when the door knob started to turn.

"I brought- HOLY SH**!!!" Sasuke shouted, seeing Sakura in such a state.

She blushed a bright red, but Sasuke blushed a dark red and almost had blood dripping from his nose. He closed the door, and faced it while he held the food in his hands. Sakura quickly put on her white shirt, and put the red vest over it.

"Y-you can look now… I'm sorry…." Sakura apologized. Sasuke turned around, and sighed.

"You idiot. Don't you know how to lock the door when you're changing? The idiot could come in anytime." Sasuke said, giving her food to her.

"Look who's talking. You don't know how lock or close the door when you're taking a shower." Sakura teased.

"Hn. I brought you your food, didn't I?" Sasuke said.

"You could've knocked first…" Sakura said.

"Hn. I'm sorry." Sasuke apologized.

They started eating their breakfast on a small table next to their futons. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Sakura decided to bring it up.

"Umm… Sasuke?" Sakura said, almost finished with her food.

"What?" Sasuke asked, almost done with his as well.

"I was wondering… did you go to the hotsprings last night?" Sakura asked, finishing the last of her meal. She sat the bowl down on the table.

_So she's asking that question… _Sasuke thought, finishing his. He sat his bowl down as well.

"Yeah." Sasuke replied.

"Oh…okay…" Sakura said.

_So did he really call me "little blossom"? I can't ask him that…. _Sakura thought.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said.

"What?" Sasuke asked, hoping she wouldn't ask about the hug thing.

"Why were your arms around me this morning?" Sakura asked, blushing. Sasuke blushed.

"Uhhh…." Sasuke said, embarrassed.

Sakura knew her question was hard to answer, but she really wanted to know if Sasuke had feelings for her or not.

"I had mistaken you as a pillow." Sasuke blurted out. He was lying, of course.

"A pillow?" Sakura thought, not knowing if it was the truth or not.

"I'm sorry…" Sasuke apologized. Sakura smiled.

"Don't worry about it." Sakura said, taking the bowls and walking towards the door.

"I'll be right back…" She said, closing the door behind her.

"_You are such an IDIOT." _Sasuke's inner self said.

"Hn." Sasuke said, wondering what to do.

"_You had your chance to tell her you love her!" _Sasuke's inner said.

"I'm leaving after this dumb vacation is over." Sasuke told his inner self, which was odd.

"_Eh? So soon? Poor Sakura… You better tell her you love her TODAY then." _The inner self said.

"Why should I tell her today? Can't I wait until the week is over?" Sasuke asked.

"_If you tell her last minute, she'll be heartbroken!" _The inner self said.

"I'm back, do I need to knock?" Sakura asked playfully, outside the door.

"Come in." Sasuke said.

"I was wondering what I should do today, since we have the whole week to do what we want. This is so weird of sensei, that I feel like I don't want to take a vacation!" Sakura said smiling. She entered the room, and saw Sasuke blushing.

"Eh? What's wrong, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, how about we do something together." Sasuke said, blushing.

"Eh?" Sakura said, confused. _Is he... asking me out on a date?! _Sakura thought.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure, Sasuke. But what do you have in mind?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke needed help with this. He didn't know much about the hotsprings, so he didn't know where to take her on his first date. His inner self decided to speak for him.

"I'll just take you wherever you want to go, I guess." Sasuke suggested.

"Okay, Sasuke." Sakura said, rather excited about her first date with Sasuke.

She took his hand, and they went out the door to start their date.


	5. The Ups and Downs

**Chapter 5) The Ups and Downs**

Sasuke and Sakura were walking down the hallway when Naruto passed them. They didn't notice him, but Naruto noticed them. He stopped in his tracks, and then looked again to see if he was imagining things. They were in the elevator, and Naruto saw Sakura smiling and Sasuke blushing before the door closed.

_Are they on a date?! _Naruto wondered, jealous of his rival dating his crush. As usual, Naruto jumped to the conclusion that they were on a date, so he rushed to the elevator and pushed the button to go down rapidly.

"Come on, you stupid elevator! I need to spy on their date!" Naruto said. The button to go down lit up, and Naruto smiled. Suddenly, the up button lit up. Naruto frowned. The buttons started blinking on and off, and Naruto knew it meant he was in trouble.

"What happened to the elevator?" Sasuke wondered, looking at the blinking level buttons.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop, and the light when out.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Sakura shouted once the lights came out.

"Sakura, it's ok. The lights just went out, and the elevator stopped. I'm sure the workers here will get it up and running soon." Sasuke assured her.

"Y-yeah, b-but…" Sakura stuttered, trembling.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." Sasuke said, with an evil smile on his face.

"N-no!" Sakura pouted. She hadn't been in a broken elevator before, so she was terrified that they wouldn't make it alive or that they would be there for hours in the dark.

"Then what's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"There's nothing wrong!" Sakura said.

Sasuke sighed. "Give me your hand." He said.

"I can't see where your hand is." Sakura replied.

"Then I'll look for it." Sasuke insisted, searching for her hand.

"KYYYYAAAA!!! Sasuke, don't touch there!!" Sakura yelped, slapping his hand away from her chest.

"Sorry, sorry!" Sasuke said, blushing. He grabbed her hand, and pulled her against him. "Just close your eyes and don't think about it." He said, hugging her tightly.

_It is better with Sasuke here with me… _Sakura thought, savoring his embrace. She had a strange feeling it wouldn't last very long.

Sasuke leaned closer to her face, and was about to kiss her when the lights when back on and the elevator went down. The doors shot open, and some staff members were waiting for the trapped people.

"Are you guys okay?" One of the staff members asked.

Sakura saw that Sasuke's lips were very close to touching hers, and she instantly blushed. Sasuke pulled away, blushing as well.

"We're fine…" Sasuke said, pulling her out of the elevator. The co workers smiled at the young couple leaving, but then grimaced when they turned their heads to the little trouble maker.

"I-I'm sorry! I just needed to go to the bathroom really badly!!" Naruto lied, trying to break free from their hold on him.

"There's a bathroom in your room!" One of the co workers barked.

"My room is downstairs!" Naruto lied again.

"Then what were you-"

"Let him go, guys. The lad just wanted to go the bathroom." A gentle voice said. The co workers turned around, and saw their leader; Umeko. She was the same lady whom greeted Team 7 when they first arrived. The co workers let him go, and Naruto dashed outside to follow Sasuke and Sakura.

"Umeko-san, he didn't run to the bathroom, though!" One of the co workers said. Umeko just smiled.

"I know." She said, and left, leaving the co workers puzzled.

Sasuke and Sakura were at the café, both of them drinking a strawberry smoothie they ordered. The perfect blend of strawberry was made with strawberry, milk, ice, a tiny bit of sugar, cinnamon, and topped with whip cream. Half of the girls at the café were staring at Sasuke, as the other half glared at Sakura. Sakura didn't mind this, but Sasuke was getting pretty pissed at the girls who were glaring at Sakura. He wanted to bark at them, but he knew he would just be rude. He looked up at Sakura, and noticed she had a bit of whip cream at the side of her lips. Smiling, he leaned towards her, and licked it off.

"Mmmm…. Tasty." Sasuke said, making Sakura blush furiously.

"So, Sasuke. Where do you want to go next?" Sakura asked, smiling.

"You'll find out at sunset." Sasuke said, smiling back. He loved that smiled of hers so much.

"So they are on a date!!" Naruto whispered, hiding behind the bushes. He saw what Sasuke did when Sakura had the whip cream on the side of her mouth, and he promised to hurt Sasuke so much for it.

"What are you doing?" An annoyed co worker for the café asked, staring down at Naruto.

"Ummm…. Admiring your bushes?" Naruto said nervously.

"OUT!!" The co worker yelled, kicking Naruto in the air.

"I'm blasting off again!!!" Naruto cried.

The sun was lowering more and more to the horizon, signaling that it was almost sunset. Sasuke placed money on the table, and escorted Sakura out of the café. From there, he took out a blindfold and tied it around her eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, feeling quite nervous about the blindfold idea.

"Just trust me." Sasuke assured her, smiling. He took her hand, and led her to the rooftop of the hotsprings. He then untied the blindfold once they were on the top where the cool breeze blew and the view was heartwarming.

"It's so… beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed, breath taken by the amazing sight. The sunset was the perfect blend of blue and pink, and the clouds were formed around the sun.

The couple watched the view until the sky was a dark blue and when the moon had regained his sky. The stars shined brighter than usual that night, but Sasuke wasn't going to waste it by just staring at it.

"Sakura, will you go to the hotsprings with me?" Sasuke asked, blushing.

Sakura blushed a bright pink. "Yes." She answered with a warm smile.

The two went to the hotsprings, both of them feeling very shy and nervous. Sakura went into the warm bath, and Sasuke followed her in. They stared at each other, until Sasuke couldn't hold himself any longer. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, and she kissed him back. Sakura couldn't believe what was happening, aside from the bath, things suddenly started to get really warm. Sakura decided to take a bold risk by deepening her kiss. Sasuke didn't hesitate to kiss her back hard. His tongue pressed gently against her lips, begging for an entrance. Sakura opened her mouth, and Sasuke started to French kiss her passionately.

"Let's continue this somewhere else…." Sakura insisted, and Sasuke poofed them into their room. He locked the door and closed the curtain, and then he continued to kiss Sakura. Laying her on the futon, he exited her mouth and began kissing her on the neck. She felt him sucking on her neck now, leaving behind a few hickeys. Sasuke moved his tongue down to her chest, and started to suck on them. Sakura let out a moan or two, both of them feeling very hot. Sasuke then went downer, until he reached her private part. He then paused, breathing heavily.

_What the hell am I doing? _Sasuke thought.

"I'm sorry; I think I've gone way too far." Sasuke said, sitting up.

Sakura desperately wanted him to continue, but she controlled herself and hugged him.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, nuzzling on his neck.

"Sakura, I'm leaving the village after this vacation." Sasuke admitted, unable to face her. Her emerald eyes widened.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to train with Orochimaru." Sasuke answered.

Sakura's eyes went dim again. They looked down at the ground. She was… speechless. Sakura wanted to know _why _he was leaving, but she knew it had something to do with the curse mark. Sasuke expected her to hit him with rage, or cry in his arms but she did neither. She just gave him her innocent smile.

"Okay." She said.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm okay with it." Sakura repeated.

"B-but why? Do you _want _me to go?" Sasuke asked her.

"Of course I don't want you to go." Sakura said, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you with all my heart, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened. This was his chance to return her feelings. He didn't speak a word, however. Sakura stared at him, expecting an answer from him, but nothing came out. She smiled, and walked into the bathroom. He knew she was hurt, and that she was only hiding it for his sake. He got up, and changed into his pajamas.

"Hn." He said, and laid back down.

Sakura was shampooing her hair slowly, for she was thinking about this whole thing.

_Did he only take me out on a date because he felt sorry for me? _Sakura thought. She couldn't tell if she was crying or not, but she felt water running down her cheeks. She remained in the shower for two hours, waiting for Sasuke to go to sleep. Once she heard gentle snoring, she got out of the shower and changed into her red silk pajamas. Opening the door by a crack, she peeked through it to see if Sasuke was sleeping or not. He was, since he was wearing his pajamas. She walked over to her futon, and stared at it for a minute or so. She then laid down on it, on the far right corner, and forced herself to sleep without thinking of Sasuke for the first time.


	6. Goodbye

**Chapter 6) Goodbye**

Sasuke woke up with a painful headache. He sat up in his futon, and looked over to where Sakura was supposed to be. She wasn't there, and Sasuke's headache grew stronger. He remembered what had happened last night.

_You do know you ARE an IDIOT, right? _Sasuke's inner self said.

"Hn." Sasuke said, trying to not to care where she was.

Deep down, he knew she was staying away from him because of what he told her last night. Sasuke changed in his usual clothing, and left the room. Even though he wasn't hungry, he stopped by the breakfast lounge room to see if Sakura was there. As he expected, she wasn't there. He wondered if she was in the hot springs trying to ease her mind like he wanted to ease his. The more and more he thought of Sakura, the more his headache grew worse and the more his heart ached. He went back to his room, thinking about where Sakura was. The worried Uchiha decided to ask Naruto and Kakashi. He went to their room, and knocked on their door. Kakashi was the one who opened the door, and was surprised to see Sasuke looking shy.

"Do you guys know where Sakura is?" Sasuke asked.

"Why do you want to know? Did something happen?" Kakashi asked, playing with the raven haired teen again.

"Do you know where she is or not?" Sasuke asked, tightening his fist.

"I don't." Kakashi assured him, and then he turned his head to Naruto. "Naruto, do you know where Sakura is?" Kakashi asked him.

"I saw her eating breakfast with some guy at the lounge. She looked happy to be with him." Naruto replied, lying slightly to Sasuke. He wanted to make Sasuke jealous, but he was also telling half the truth. She _was _eating breakfast, but she was eating it alone, and she was rather melancholic.

"With who?!" Sasuke asked, furious.

"Uhhhh… I think he had blue hair and he looked really cool and laid back." Naruto lied, nervously.

Just then, Sakura walked past the door with a sweet smile on her face. "Hello." She greeted shortly, still walking past them.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto greeted nervously.

"So what's his name, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, storming towards her.

"Who are you talking about?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Naruto said you were eating with some guy at the lounge." Sasuke replied.

"Eh? I wasn't eating with anyone." Sakura said.

Sasuke glared at Naruto who was looking at them by a small crack. He cursed Naruto, but decided to leave it alone. He wanted to keep a watchful eye on her. Sasuke kept a good distance from Sakura as he followed her, and kept his chakra hidden. He wanted to apologize, but the words didn't come out.

After a while, Sakura grew tired of Sasuke following her everywhere. She wondered if he noticed that she had led him around the hot springs three times already. She always kept a smile on her face for the entire time, and not once did she look back. She knew he was following her, for she felt his presence. Her smile was both sincere and melancholic, which bothered Sasuke. After they circled for the fourth time, Sakura was close to tears.

_Why is he following me?! _Sakura thought. Her teeth were clenched together, and she wasn't smiling anymore. Tears dropped down her face, and fists tightened. Sasuke re appeared behind her, and ran up to her. Before he could touch her shoulder she disappeared in a flash. Sasuke's eyes widened.

_I'm such an idiot. _Sasuke thought, his fists tightening. He ran up to their room, and shut the door behind him. Surprisingly, she saw seated at the table with something shiny in her hands. She wasn't crying anymore, but her pink eyes were evidence that she was. She turned around to look at him with a painful smile.

"Se-cer-et." Sakura said holding up a _shhh _hand sign.

Sasuke collapsed to the floor, his headache taking control over him. Sakura just stared at him with that painful smile of hers, and turned back to what she was doing. Huffing, Sasuke's vision started to fade as he fell unconscious.

Sasuke awoke the next day with a cool towel on his forehead. A glass of water was neatly placed beside him, as well as his stuff. Sasuke shot up, and looked around the room. There was no sign of Sakura anywhere. The drawers were all opened, and empty. It was Friday now, and the sun had already set. The sky was a dark blue now, and the moon was slowly starting to rise. Sasuke opened the backpack, and was surprised to see his clothes all neatly folded. He slid on his backpack, drank the water, and dashed to go see Naruto and Kakashi. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He looked down at the ground, and saw a white piece of paper under the door. He picked it up, and read it to himself: _"We packed early." _

Sasuke was confused. Did Sakura tell them that he was going to leave? He crumbled the piece of paper up, and just threw it on the floor.

"Hn." Sasuke said, and left the hot springs, and the village.

Later that night, in Orochimaru's lair, Sasuke was unpacking his things. At the very bottom of his backpack was a small box. Curious, he took out the box and opened it. A shiny necklace laid on the soft pillow inside the box. The necklace had the leaf village sign, and the Uchiha sign. Sasuke noticed that the leaf village sign was a thin locket, so he opened it gently. A piece of paper fell out. Sasuke sighed, and read the note to himself:

"_Dear Sasuke, _

_Whether you choose the good or bad path, I will accept it. _

_I know your entire clan was killed,_

_But please remember you have a family waiting for you in Konoha. _

_We may not be blood related, but we care about you and we love you. _

_Good luck." –Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto _

Sasuke smiled.

"**Thank you." **

_(Author's Note: This is the final chapter, but I will be posting a continuation pretty soon. The continuation will take place after the three year time skip, where Sasuke is now a part of Akatsuki and is in a new team. Thank you to all the people who favorite this story and added it to their watch list. C: To clear any confusion, Sasuke is the one who says 'thank you' at the very end. X33 Please review! )_


End file.
